SPOILER-Speculation for Road to Hell and beyond

Sharonan "Arpathians" seem to be known as "Andarans" in Arcana and "Native Americans" or "American Indians" in real life. Could a Calirath Emperor/Empress have arranged that on prompting from a Glimpse?

I thought Arpathians were from the Asian stepp? In other words they were Mongols undiluted by Chinese intermarriage.

Terranovan wrote:Sharonan "Arpathians" seem to be known as "Andarans" in Arcana and "Native Americans" or "American Indians" in real life. Could a Calirath Emperor/Empress have arranged that on prompting from a Glimpse?

PeterZ wrote:I thought Arpathians were from the Asian stepp? In other words they were Mongols undiluted by Chinese intermarriage.

Terranovan wrote:Sharonan "Arpathians" seem to be known as "Andarans" in Arcana and "Native Americans" or "American Indians" in real life. Could a Calirath Emperor/Empress have arranged that on prompting from a Glimpse?

Hulmok Arthag refers to his family producing several "shamans". More to the point, we don't see (so far as I can remember) any natives of "New Ternathia" (Sharonan North America). Or, as a third option, we could both be right and they're somewhere between the two.

If you're going on the use of "shaman", it's actually a stronger indication of a steppe origin than Great Plains, although i'm sure that Himself is more than capable of throwing it in precisely for the misdirection effect.

Shamanism is still current among the Mongols and their northern and eastern neighbours today, and the word itself comes from far-eastern Siberia via Russian and German. Although 'shamanic' it certainly an accurate descriptor it isn't in general use for native American cultures - I see it in use most often in Mesoamearican archaeological contexts, actually. Also, the fact that Arpathians are consumate horsemen argues for the Mongol connection: it would be pushing really, really hard for an otherwise completely divergent history to duplicate the Spanish invasion and conquest patterns closely enough to have turned Plains Indians into the same quality light cavalry seen in our world [since i see no reason not to thing that the horse went extinct in North America in the same way], without some pretty profound assimilation of other aspects of Ternathian culture that don't appear to be in evidence.

Finally, IIRC there's direct reference to conflict between Arpathians and Uromathians that wouldn't be likely if they weren't neighbours.

Terranovan wrote:

PeterZ wrote:I thought Arpathians were from the Asian stepp? In other words they were Mongols undiluted by Chinese intermarriage.

Hulmok Arthag refers to his family producing several "shamans". More to the point, we don't see (so far as I can remember) any natives of "New Ternathia" (Sharonan North America). Or, as a third option, we could both be right and they're somewhere between the two.

Many good long-range possibilities here.

Most obvious are the coming internecine wars within each homeworld -- On Sharona, Chava's Uromathian empire vs Calirath's Ternathian. And on Arcana, a re-run of the early portal wars, with the Shakira vs Ransarans and Andarans. Evidence already of honor-driven Andarans uniting with Ternathians against Andaran idiots who have been misled by mul Gurthak's shakiran manipulations.

But what might come out of the other portals on to the Hell's Gate world? Magister Halathyn's experimental device seems to have identified at least six portals connecting to the Hell's Gate world. (Book1, p22). "At least", because the device only has six "slots". The sector map shows seven arrows stemming from Hell's Gate -- five plus the two for New Uromath and Mahritha. From dragonback, it is possible to observe four of these from the same location above Fallen Timbers (Book 2, p118)

So what happens if another civilization stumbles on to the Andaran/Ternathian "alliance" with Velvelig, hiding in the jungle portal? Peaceful encounter leading to a tense but peaceful tri-lateral communication? Another war, or at least a battle, 2 vs 1?

What happens if another civilization comes through a different portal, and stumbles into a battle between Sharona and Arcana near the Mahritha portal or near the New Uromath portal. Do the newcomers align with one against the other? Stand back and watch in horror? Retreat to defend their own portal against these warmongers?

If another civilization does show up, what would its characteristics be? No Talents or Magic? Both? Something completely different? What if it has Sharonian style technology but is more advanced, say at the level of Earth in the 1930s or later?

What if a third civilization is non-humanoid? Very non-humanoid?

What if there are FIVE other civilizations, one for each portal to Hell's Gate, with Sharona and Arcana just the first to arrive?

I hope RFC finds a way to pass the creative torch to the next generation. Like Star Wars, the world envisioned here could be developed for at least another generation, long after I am gone.

A gorilla matriarch has offered free foraging and "nursemaiding services" to "human females with young" to assist with wartime population expansion. If Sharona takes them up on the nursemaiding as a day-by-day thing, it might free up the mothers for - other tasks . . .https://images.app.goo.gl/a4aULpFFU1YQnrKe7

OldGoat wrote:What if there are FIVE other civilizations, one for each portal to Hell's Gate, with Sharona and Arcana just the first to arrive?

Yes, I've wondered if the Hell's world is a nexus to other civilizations.

jeremyr wrote:

OldGoat wrote:What if there are FIVE other civilizations, one for each portal to Hell's Gate, with Sharona and Arcana just the first to arrive?

Yes, I've wondered if the Hell's world is a nexus to other civilizations.

Well ... if the dates in the chapter headings in "Road to Hell" are any indication ... I bet one of the portals will open the way to "our" version of Earth. However, I highly doubt that one of the portals will open directly on "our" Earth - such a portal would be discovered even with 1920s technology, and even if it opens in a rainforest area (Amazon, Congo River, Orinoco - wherever) or in some other hard-to-access area - at least if it's land-based.
But I wonder what would happen, if one of the portals leads the way, say ... to Wen Spencers Elfhome! Oops!!

What do you mean, "if"?

Who else but a woodsprite would be messing with peoples' realities this way? The only real question is whether he's just hooking them up at random, or if he's selecting the connections for maximum entertainment value

Eagleeye wrote:
Well ... if the dates in the chapter headings in "Road to Hell" are any indication ... I bet one of the portals will open the way to "our" version of Earth. However, I highly doubt that one of the portals will open directly on "our" Earth - such a portal would be discovered even with 1920s technology, and even if it opens in a rainforest area (Amazon, Congo River, Orinoco - wherever) or in some other hard-to-access area - at least if it's land-based.
But I wonder what would happen, if one of the portals leads the way, say ... to Wen Spencers Elfhome! Oops!!

Doing another read through and just had a thought. I'm thinking the mythalans might have a bit of order, counter order, disorder going in the next books.

I was trying to think how a mythalan would think and if I were them I wouldn't be threatened by the sharonians, or at least I'd view them as a later problem with gaining control of the union the main goal. Now I don't know what the actual plans are to take control, but they are using the sharonians at tools to make that work.

So my initial thoughts were about how I thought mul gurthak would react to the sharonian counter attack, something I have mused over many times, when the part of the third book where gadriel makes her discovery came up and another thought popped into my head. Whatever the discovery is, it is guaranteed to be an immediate danger to something the mythalans hold dear, whether it's their way of life, culture, religious beliefs, or just their ego. And its likely to make the carefully laid plans of the council of twelve obsolete.

So all I can think of now is how the frantic need to remake their plans + long communication loops will lead to chaos. For instance what if the discovery makes the elimination of the sharonians a priority but the plan to take control of the military involves having a mythalan end the war, so the frontline mythalans are continuing on with that plan but their success is no longer wanted, how do they get out of that situation? It would likely involve a high risk of discovery to the plotters.

I don't know maybe I'm wrong but I just can't get it out of my head.